Exceptional Family

A Maze of Puzzles is an Amazing Accomplishment

She sits on the sofa, leaning over the coffee table. Boxes and boards of puzzles are stacked one on top each other, each piece in its proper place.

A box of 50 assorted pieces is turned upside down on the table and the assembly begins. Never once peaking at the picture on the box top for reference, the puzzle is completed within minutes. It's amazing and a miracle.

Becky is 33 years old and a client of the Isaiah Foundation. She is mentally retarded, with barely the vocabulary of a 2-year old, and is prone to seizures. Normal at birth, Becky experienced controlled convulsions 30 hours after receiving a DPT inoculation at her 18th month check up. From that point, Becky's growth into adulthood became a different journey.

Her busy mom is a professional real estate agent who jockeys appointments, shopping, and ordinary daily life around Becky's days at the Key Center. Without the relief of additional respite care, the 24/7 routine of caring for an adult-child can take its toll on this single mother who is now approaching the baby boomer generation.

The Isaiah Foundation has been providing that needed break for parents like Becky's mother since 1984. As the responsibility of caring for a disabled child or adult often weighs heavily on many parents, these few hours or weekend visits by a caregiver adds new vitality to the family structure. These specially trained caregivers lovingly become members of the family as they provide nurturing and care for an hour or for an extended overnight stay. By giving this kind of care that help families maintain their disabled family members in their own home and reduce the need for institutionalization, the Isaiah Foundation offers relief for both the family and the community.

Trained caregiver Beverly Phillips has been a part of the Isaiah Foundation and Becky's care since 1992.

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by Michelle Morris